What He Left Behind
by lia-finn
Summary: Stranded on a distant world, John can only wait for rescue and wonder how life at home passes without him. SheppardWeir
1. Chapter 1

Title: What He Left Behind

Author: Lia

Classification: Romance/Angst

Rating: T (just in case)

Pairing: John/Elizabeth, mentions of Ronon/Teyla Beckett/Cadman

Spoilers: Maybe some tiny mentions but you probably won´t even notice.

Summary: Stranded on a distant world, John can only wait for rescue and wonder how life at home passes without him. SheppardWeir

Disclaimers: Stargate Atlantis and all its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author´s Note: First of all, Carson is very much alive in this story (Sunday? What Sunday?). Remember, English is not my first language, but I tried my best..Hope it´s enough. Thanks to Pat for beta..I would be so lost without you.

Enjoy the story!

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It was still very early in the morning, the bright sun only just beginning its rise up to the cloudless blue sky. The gentle crash of the waves was heard from below, and the warm summer breeze was making the white curtains sway a little as it sneaked inside from the open balcony doors.

She was lying on the bed on her side, on the top of the covers. A soft smile crept on her lips as she felt a familiar hand sneaking around her from behind, pulling her closer.

"Hey, you´re back." She whispered, turning her head so she could kiss him on the lips.

"Yeah." His voice was still hoarse from sleep.

A pleased sigh escaped from her lips as his hand moved down from her stomach, fingers trailing the line of her underwear. She moved slightly, pressing her back against his bare chest.

"What time did you come back?" She asked, her eyes falling closed as he kissed her neck.

His team had returned from their trip to the mainland during the late night, instead the early next morning like planned. Both Rodney and Carson had wanted to get home as soon as possible, both men for very different reasons, and John didn´t argue.

He had bid his team a good night and left them to do whatever they were going to do in the two in the morning before going to sleep. Ronon had followed Teyla away from the hangar, Rodney hurrying into his lab and a glimpse of Laura Cadman´s red hair had told him what Carson would be doing.

Elizabeth had been asleep already when he had silently crept inside her quarters, and for a long moment he had just watched her sleep on the top of the covers, wearing black underwear and a black tank top.

He had undressed quietly, leaving his combat boots and tactical vest on the floor by the door and placing his gun on the table. She had sighed softly when he had lay down next to her, unconsciously rolling over to face him, snuggling close against his side.

"Only a few hours ago." He replied, moving to kiss her cheek.

"I missed you."

During the past months they had been together, only a few nights had been spent separately. He felt better when she was close. His nightmares were slowly leaving him alone when she slept next to him.

"I missed you too."

She turned her head again to look at him, sighing as his lips pressed against hers. Rolling on her back, she wrapped his arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

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She was in her office when he found her a few hours later.

"I thought we were going for breakfast."

She looked up from her laptop before glancing at her wrist watch. "You were quick."

He had changed clothes, his hair still damp from the shower and sticking up like always. Arms crossed across his chest and a smug smile on his lips he leaned against the door frame, waiting for her.

Closing the laptop she stood up and walked past him, her body brushing against his and his grin widened as he followed her down to the commissary.

He watched her as she was choosing between iced tea and juice. "No coffee?" He asked, filling a large mug himself.

She made a face at the thought. "No."

"You ok?" His voice was soft, worried.

"Fine. The day is just too hot for hot coffee."

He followed her to the table that was placed far corner near the window, the spot they usually preferred, placing his tray on the table and taking a seat opposite her. "Too hot to eat too?"

She laughed softly. "I´m eating."

He eyed the fruit salad she had finally chosen after long thought, but said nothing.

"I´m fine." She promised smiling.

"I didn´t say anything."

"But you were thinking."

"It happens sometime."

She grinned and looked up from her fruit salad, her feet brushing against his under the table.

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Reviews would be nice. I´ll try to update daily..that´s what you like, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews.

Enjoy the new chapter!

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The light wind did not offer any relief from the heat of the night as she stood at the balcony, watching as the darkness fell slowly over the city. The soft sounds of the waves crashing below sounded tempting, and for a moment she thought about sneaking down to the farthest pier and diving into the cool water in the cover of the darkness.

"Hey."

She smiled at the sound of his voice but didn´t turn around to look at him until he was standing next to her, leaning casually against the rail.

"Hey."

He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deep the salty sea air. "What are you still doing here?" He asked softly, turning to look at her.

"Just catching a breath of fresh air."

"You´re finished for the night?"

"Yeah." She smiled again, the soft breeze ruffling her dark hair and she lifted her hand to brush the wild strands away from her face.

"Good." He grinned. "I have a surprise for you then."

"John." She glanced at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the excited look on his face.

"Oh, come on. You´re gonna love it."

It was late already and the hallways were mostly empty. They reached the far side of the city, the hallways dark and silent around them. He reached for her hand, knowing there was no one else in that part of the city.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, you´ll see."

He led her down the metal stairs before stopping and asking her to close her eyes. With a sigh, but with a soft smile playing on her lips she did what he had told her and trusted him to lead her through the darkness.

"Okay, open your eyes." He said softly close to her ear.

"Oh my god." She stared the sight in front of them for a long moment before turning to look at John.

"How did you..?"

"It was actually Rodney´s idea." He grinned excitedly. "He found it."

"How come I didn´t know about this?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"It sure is." She let go of his hand and walked on the edge of the swimming pool, kneeling down to touch the still blue water. A soft sigh escaped her.

"It´s not sea water." He kneeled down next to her. "I´m guessing this has been a spa of some kind." He glanced around.

"A spa? Here? Now, why would..?"

"How should I know?" He shrugged grinning. "Just guessing."

"Can I go in?" She stared longingly the water.

"That´s why I brought you here."

She reached for the hem of her shirt but hesitated a little before pulling it away. "You´re sure no one comes here?"

"Rodney and I are the only ones who know about this for now. We got it filled only some hours ago and I told him that Id bring you here first."

It took only a little time before she had undressed and sat down on the edge of the pool and slid down in the water. She had barely noticed him staring at her, eyes dark with passion as he had watched her undress in front of him.

The dim lights on the bottom of the pool created enough light for him to see her disappearing under the clear water only to come back up again, wiping the water away from her face.

"Aren´t you going to join me?" She asked sweetly, swimming closer to where he was standing and rested her arms against the edge.

He got rid of his clothes in record time and dove into the water head first, making her laugh softly and swim to where he surfaced.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body tightly against his, kissing his wet lips deep and long.

"So, I guess you like it?" His hands caressed her waist under the water.

"I love it." She whispered, leaning to kiss him again.

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I know it was a little short, but I´ll update soon again. Reviews would be lovely.

-Lia


	3. Chapter 3

More fluff ahead. Enjoy!

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He helped her up from the water, offering her a large white towel he had brought down there earlier with him.

"My back will be sore for days." She giggled softly as she pulled her shirt on, careful of the small scratches she had gotten from the wall of the pool as he had pressed her against it.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He grinned too, reaching to pull her close against his bare chest.

She kissed him tenderly. "Never done it in the pool before, you know."

He chuckled and let her go, pulling his boots on, leaving the laces untied. She gathered the rest of her clothes and dressed quickly. He had his arm wrapped around her as they walked the silent hallways back to her quarters. Resultantly he let her go as they got close to the living area, not wanting to be caught by someone who had decided to take a late night walk.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss and he followed her in without a word. She moved around in the darkness, the faint rays of the full moon sneaking in from the open windows creating enough light.

Her quarters were bigger than his. She had a big comfortable bed and a small private balcony. She had a small tub and a shower, and first she had hesitated when he had shown her the room, saying it wasn´t fair for her to get all that.

He had talked her into it. Reasoning that she should have it. Saying that it was close to everything, and most importantly, close to his own room. He had wanted her to be close, just in case.

She disappeared into the bathroom and he kicked off his boots, lying down on the bed. Hands behind his head he listened the sound of the shower running, his eyes scanning around the room where he spent most of his nights.

Some of his personal things were there, even she tried to keep them hidden in case she got visitors. He took off his dog tags, placing them on the night stand.

His eyes were closed when she came from the shower, wearing a silky robe he had given her some months ago and she had found it completely unnecessary to have but used anyway. She had loved it from the second she had pulled it out from the small gift bag, but still complained smiling about the impracticality of it.

"Imagine me running into the control room in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but this."

"Oh, I am." He had grinned in return and she had swatted him playfully.

But she loved the robe.

And he never told her how he had gotten the robe to Atlantis. Their last visit to Earth had been a long time ago.

"What´s wrong?" His voice was soft and she looked down to see his eyes open.

She sat on the edge of the bed, the thin silk sliding from her thighs, revealing the tanned skin to his eyes. He sat up, inhaling the fruity scent of her soap she and some of the other women brought from the mainland. He used his fingers to brush back the damp hair behind her ear, his other hand moving on her bare thigh.

"This..." She started softly, staring at his fingers that moved on her leg. "What we have..."

He was close enough to lean his chin against her shoulder, the whispered words sending shivers through her body. "I´m scared too."

"I´m not scared." She smiled, turning to look at him.

"Yes you are." His arm wrapped around her, pulling her even closer to him. She was sitting sideways, between his legs, almost in his lap.

His hand that had caressed his thigh sneaked under the robe, circling her waist. "You´re scared because this is something neither of us hasn´t experienced before."

"Talking about yourself there, colonel?" She asked, bringing her hand to cup his cheek, but the smile on her face told him he was right.

"I love you, Elizabeth." He leaned to kiss her gently on the lips.

"I love you too." Her whisper made him smile softly.

She leaned her forehead against his, a hand still caressing the unshaven face. "Softy."

"Well, you turned me into one."

She chuckled and kissed him softly. "We need to figure out how to make this work. We can´t hide this forever. And I don´t even want to. I want people to know that I love you."

"I want that too. That, and I want to be able to tell the men who are lusting after you to back off."

She laughed. "Right."

"I´m serious." He pouted as she pulled away. "That´s the reason I´m not taking you off-world with me. I have enough glaring to do here, I don´t want to waste my energy in other worlds too."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Lizzie." He grinned at the annoyed look on her face upon hearing the nick name. "Half of the men of this expedition have fallen in love with you."

She smiled at the jealous look on his face.

"I mean it." He said. "And I´m still a little mad at Zelenka."

"Why on earth are you mad at Radek?"

"He was sucking you up with that ´you are the loop´ thing."

"Oh that." She smiled softly. "That was awfully nice thing to say, don´t you think."

He mock glared at her. "I bet you were just smiling just like that when he said that."

She leaned closer to him, forcing him to lean back against the pillows. A smug grin crept on his lips when she reached to untie her robe. "Don´t be jealous, John." She said softly and he felt his body reacting to hers as she rubbed herself against him.

He flipped them over on the bed, his eyes darkening as the open robe revealed her naked body to his eyes. "I´m not jealous."

"Of course you´re not." The smile on her face was teasing.

He kissed her. Hard and long. Deep and passionate. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her body arching up against his. And he made love to her, over and over again, making her cry out his name.

She was still panting, his head buried against the crook of her neck. He lifted his head, kissing her on the lips before rolling off and reaching for a sheet to pull it cover their sweaty and naked bodies.

"God John." She whispered as she cuddled next to him, his arm wrapping around her waist to keep her close.

He chuckled pleased. "Hope these walls are as sound proof as I think they are or the neighbors got a nasty wake up call."

She swatted him, covering her blushing face against his chest. "It was your fault."

"I´m gladly taking the blame for this one."

He felt her chuckling rather than hearing as her face was still pressed against his chest. The chuckle changed to a yawn and he kissed her forehead softly. "Go to sleep. We have a few hours before we have to get up."

She nodded, eyes falling close as the tiredness washed over her. "I love you John." Her voice was already heavy with sleep but her arm tightened its hold around him.

"I love you too."

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Thanks for reading. Now would be a good time to click the blue(-ish) button and write a few words...


	4. Chapter 4

Well, I hope you are still reading...

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She hadn´t seen him after the senior staff meeting to which he had arrived late because he had stayed in her bed until the last minute that morning and then hurrying into his quarters to get a quick shower and change clean clothes.

Some hours later she glanced up from her laptop, placed the half eaten turkey sandwich back on the desk and watched as he paced back and forth outside her office.

"John? Are you guarding my office?"

He stopped and looked at her almost embarrassed. "No."

"You want something?" She stood up and walked to where he was still standing just outside her office.

He glanced around almost nervously. "Elizabeth, I..."

She tilted her head slightly, her dark hair falling on her shoulder. A soft frown escaped from her lips when he didn´t continue, but reached to take her hand. "What is it, John?"

Gently he pulled her a little closer, bodies almost touching. His other hand was tucked in to his pants pocket. "Listen, I´ve been..." He spoke with a soft voice.

"Elizabeth." The sound of Carson´s voice in her ear made her sigh and turn her head away a little. She moved her free hand to touch the ear piece.

"Yes, Carson?"

"Could I see you down here in the infirmary?"

"I´ll be there soon."

She sighed again and turned to look at him apologizing. "I have to go." She said softly, squeezing his hand. "We talk when you come back."

"No." He pulled her back to him. "I want to say this before we leave."

"Okay." She looked at him confused.

"I love you."

A soft smile crept on her lips. "I love you too."

He sighed, looking down at their joined hands, his fingers playing with hers. "I really love you, Liz."

"John."

"I want to marry you."

Her head snapped up to look at him. "What?"

"Marry me, Elizabeth."

"I, uh..."

"Listen, I know this is not how I planned to propose you. There was supposed to be candles and dinner and stars in the dark night sky... and I know that I don´t deserve you..."

"John."

"...but I couldn´t wait until we would come back..."

"John."

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking for a moment and let me say something."

He stopped and looked at her, almost as afraid she would say no.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Of course." She whispered. "God, of course."

He wanted to wrap his arms around her, kiss her senseless. But he squeezed her hand tightly. "Yes?" He asked, as confirming her promise.

"Yes." A soft laughter escaped from her lips.

He took his hand from his pocket, holding a ring between his fingers. "This is for you."

She stared at the ring, her hand shaking a little when she took it from him. "I can´t wear it, not right now anyway."

"I know." He put his hand in his pocket again and pulled out a gold chain.

He slid the ring on the chain and then leaned to fasten it around her neck. The ring settled on her chest and he slipped it under her shirt.

"You´ve been thinking about this for a long time, have you?"

"You have no idea." He grinned.

She glanced around quickly before leaning to kiss his lips softly. "I love you." She whispered as pulling away.

"When we come back, I´ll give you candles and dinner and stars on the dark night sky..." He promised.

"Can´t wait."

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"Colonel!"

"I´ll be right there." He said to his team mates before turning around to see Elizabeth walking to him.

"Yes, ma´am?" His voice was teasing, hand resting comfortably against his P-90, eyes falling to her chest where the ring he had given her only an hour ago rested beneath her shirt.

Elizabeth glanced around to see the hallway empty before leaning to kiss him. "Come back home soon."

He grinned smugly. "Yes, ma´am."

Kissing her one more time he turned around and followed his team in to the gateroom. The friendly banter started right away between John, McKay and Ronon, and Teyla rolled her eyes, glancing to Elizabeth who smiled at her sympathetically.

"Dial the gate." Elizabeth said to the technician.

The gate swooshed open and she nodded her head slightly. "Be safe." She called.

McKay and Ronon were bickering to each other as they stepped through, Teyla right behind them. John glanced quickly back, locking his eyes with her and giving her his familiar flyboy smile before disappearing through the gate himself.

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Blue button...

Next chapter will be out soon...


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews.

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"Great." He muttered as he walked to where Rodney and Teyla stood waiting for him, Ronon already taking a look at their surroundings.

The rain fell on them from the gray sky and John reached to take a cap from his pack bag, pulling it on his head. He pulled his gloves on to have a better hold of his P-90, silently cursing the weather.

"This is not my fault." Rodney said when Sheppard turned to look at him annoyed.

"We should head back." John glanced around, concerned about the low visibility.

Rodney looked miserable as the water sneaked under his jacket but he shook his head. "No, let´s at least check out the close area. The MALP showed some interesting readings," he turned to point the small hill. "From that way."

Sighing John glanced over where the scientist was pointing and pulled his cap deeper in his head. "Ronon! That way." He called over the rain, pointing the right direction. Teyla hurried after Ronon and John grinned at Rodney. "After you then." He gestured.

He stood in guard, leaning against the broken wall of the temple. Most of the walls had been broken, the roof having fallen hundreds of years ago. It had probably been a beautiful building once, but at that moment when he was sure he had no dry spot in his body, he just couldn´t care less.

"Oh, come on, McKay." He turned to look at the scientist who studied one of the undamaged walls carefully.

"Hold on a second." Rodney replied, forgotten the rain and the raging thunder. "This is interesting."

"I bet it is." John sighed. "Can´t we just come back when it´s not this...wet?"

"No." Rodney shook his head. "I believe the humidity brought up these markings. Look, look at this one, this is a gate address."

"To where?" John asked, trying to look interested.

"I don´t know. But we´re gonna find out."

"We are?"

"Yes." Rodney grinned, pointing the figures on the wall. "Check this out."

John sighed again but moved to look to where the scientist was pointing. "Help me here, Rodney. I don´t know what..."

"ZPM."

"You sure?"

"Of course I´m sure."

"Fine." John clicked his radio. "Ronon, Teyla, let´s head back to the gate."

The walk back to the gate took longer than the walk to the ruins. The ground had turned into the mud, covering every track of the path they had followed there. Ronon had taken lead, following more of his instincts than their tracks.

Another flash of lightning split the sky as they finally reached the gate and John dialed home. "This better be so worth it." He entered his code and reached for his radio.

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard."

He tried several times without getting response. "Ok, we´re going home and come back other time, preferably when it´s not raining."

"No." Rodney shook his head. "We should go and find the ZPM now."

"I agree." Teyla said softly, her voice barely audible through the rain. "We should try to find the ZPM."

"I want that thing just as much as the next guy, but we can´t just rush through the gates landing on different planets without telling people." John said tiredly.

"It´s possible that they are receiving our broadcast but we can´t hear them." Rodney glanced at the sky. "The storm may be interfering th radio. And it´s not like you,_ we_, haven´t done that before."

John glared the scientist. "Ronon?" He asked, turning to look at the Satedan.

"I agree with Rodney and Teyla." The tall man said simply.

"Of course you do. Fine, dial the address."

Rodney walked to the DHD and started dialing and the gate opened with the familiar whoosh. John walked up the few stairs that led to the gate. "I´ll go first. Ronon comes next. Teyla and Rodney, wait for our contact."

With a last nod he stepped through. The moment he had disappeared, the lighting hit the gate, the wave of energy blast hitting Ronon first, and less than a second later to Rodney who was standing in front of Teyla, sending them several feet away from the gate.

All three were unconscious before hitting the muddy ground.

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It felt like a massive electric shock as the energy blast sent him several feet away from the gate. He hit the hard ground hard, the impact emptying his lungs and he felt the burning pain in his chest as he gasped for air. The pain in his head told him that he probably had a concussion and he shook his head a little attempting to get his mind clear, regretting the movement as the pain rushed through his head.

"Son of a..."

He pushed himself up to his feet and walked to the DHD that was placed a little farther from the gate.

"Oh come on." He shouted out as the gate remained inactivated. Frustrated he hit the symbol with his hand.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him and he leaned against the DHD for support. He fought against the darkness that threatened to take over, and finally losing the battle, he felt himself falling on the snowy ground.

The snow kept falling from the sky, slowly covering the still body that lay on the ground.

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"Try to contact them again." Elizabeth asked the young technician, glancing again the gate.

It wasn´t unusual for Sheppard´s team to be late, but she always worried. "All right." She forced a small smile to her lips. "Keep trying, and let me know if you hear something."

"Yes, ma´am." The young man nodded and turned back to the controls.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Atlantis, please respond. Doctor McKay, do you copy?"

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More to come. Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

Hope you like.

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It was already late. The falling night did not offer coolness from the heat, the gentle breeze that wrapped around her like an invisible blanket was still warm, even though the sun had set hours ago. There was a crash of thunder heard in the distance, a flash of lightning brightening the sky in a far horizon.

She was standing at their balcony, listening to the closing in of the storm. The soft hiss of the door opening made her turn around.

"I´m sorry to interrupt you."

"It´s okay. Any news?" She smiled tiredly.

Lorne shook his head. "No, ma´am."

She knew why the young major had come to see her and shook her head slightly. He had changed his clothes since she had last seen him. Gun strapped against his leg, tactical vest already on even with the heat of the night. He was fully armed, his P-90 probably waiting for him with the rest of his team in the gate room where they all waited for her approval for the rescue mission.

"Listen." He took a step closer, the door closing after him. "We´re ready to go."

"Major, I can´t send you out there without knowing..."

He had never argued against the orders he had been given, but he interrupted her softly. "We´re volunteering." He said, and then explained to her their plan, reasoned why they should go, and by the look on her green eyes, he knew she was giving up.

"We´ll get him back." He promised and smiled at the alarmed look on her face. "We´ll get them all back."

Her fingers moved to touch the ring that was hidden under her shirt and she wondered if the major knew.

"I know." Lorne said as answering to her unasked question. "It kind of shows from him. That he´s in love."

She blushed and turned to look back to the dark sea. "You understand then that I can´t authorize this mission. Not before we know more. I can´t send you or your team there before we know more. I... Some might think..."

"I understand."

He moved to stand next to her, staring the darkness in a silence for a long moment before speaking again. "I´ve heard that P4X-153 has this power source that I know for sure the science department would get a kick out of. Permission to go and check it out."

She chuckled softly, fingers still feeling the ring under the soft fabric. "In the middle of the night?"

"Yes, ma´am." Lorne replied seriously, eyes still staring ahead.

"Permission granted."

He took off without a word, but stopped by the door as she called his name softly.

"Thank you." She said, her voice barely above the whisper, but he had no problem hearing her in the quiet night.

"We´ll get them home." He repeated his earlier promise.

"Be safe, major."

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The storm never came, the missed rain washing over the mainland but not reaching the city. The morning brought back the heat as the sun crept up to the sky.

She was leaning her head in her arms, eyes closed as she waited news from the rescue team she had sent through the gate hours ago.

Carson glanced at her worriedly. "You should get some sleep."

"I´m fine." She lifted her head and offered him a tired smile before lifting her hands to rub her eyes. "I´ll sleep when they´re back home."

"It could take hours." Carson said softly. "You´re exhausted, I can see that. Go and rest for a while. And after that get something to eat."

She shook her head but he stood up and walked to where she was sitting behind her desk. "Don´t make me pull out the CMO card. You know you won´t win that fight."

She gave up. The tiredness washed over her as she stood up and she stumbled a little, grabbing for her desk. "I´m fine." She said as Carson hurried to help her. "Just got up too quickly."

"Elizabeth."

"I´m fine." She said, her voice cracking with emotions and she turned her head away embarrassed.

"I´ll take you to your quarters and have someone to bring you something to eat."

"Fine."

She woke up four hours later to see Carson sitting next to her bed, a laptop on his lap, feet propped up on the free chair opposite, balancing the computer on his thighs.

"Carson?" She asked surprised to see him there.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"Better." She pushed herself up.

"Has Major Lorne come back yet?"

Carson straightened in his chair and closed the laptop, placing it on the now free chair opposite him. "They came back a little time ago."

"You didn´t wake me?" She was angry, but the look on his face told him that he had his reasons.

"Doctor McKay, Teyla and Ronon are all still unconscious. I was going to wake you as soon as they woke up."

"And John?"

Carson looked away. "He wasn´t there."

"What?"

"Lorne took his team back to the planet, I authorized the rescue mission. But Colonel Sheppard is not there."

"I want to see Teyla and..."

He nodded toward the tray that was placed on the table. "Eat something first. And yes, before you ask, I outrank you at the moment, and until I say other wise, I am in charge here."

She chuckled softly. "Coup de´tat."

"Call it what you want." The doctor smiled too. "Eat and have a shower or something and meet me at the infirmary. I´ll go and check our patients." He stood up to gather his files and grabbed his computer before heading to the door. "I´m sure we´ll find John." He said softly before the door opened and he disappeared into the hallway.

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So, okay, it was a little more angsty that I planned, but hey, I´m feeling pretty angsty myself at the moment, so, please...


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews!!

Still feeling pretty angsty here... hope you´ll like.

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Lorne shoved his P-90 to the young soldier who took it without a word as the angry marine passed him and headed up the stairs. The rest of Lorne´s team looked tired, rubbing their faces and heading straight into the infirmary for their post mission check up.

"Dr. Weir?" Lorne stood by the door.

She looked up from the screen she had been staring the last hour. "Major, how did it go?" She asked even knowing the answer.

Lorne shook his head sadly, tiredly. He was exhausted. "I´m sorry, ma´am."

She leaned back in her chair, her eyes falling close for a short moment before she looked up the man in front of her. "I understand. Thank you, major." The tone of her voice was professional as she pulled on the mask of the leader of the Atlantis expedition she was.

But inside she was trembling, her heart aching with pain, with fear of losing him and she prayed the young major would leave.

Lorne studied her quietly for a moment, silently admiring her strength, and yet worried about her. "Doctor Zelenka needs the data we took from the  
DHD." He excused himself softly, wondering if she knew he wanted to offer her privacy without her needing to ask. "I´ll report back to you when he´s finished."

"Yes, thank you, major."

He left without more words, sensing that she would break down any second and giving her privacy to do so alone. He headed down to the infirmary, glancing at the two members of his team who sat on the beds waiting for their turn.

Laura Cadman´s voice was soft, her words too quiet for the rest of her team to hear when she spoke with Carson. She sat on the bed, watching as he drew some blood from her arm.

"Carson." She reached her free hand to cup his cheek, gently forcing him to look up to her. "You need to rest a little."

"I will." He promised, giving her a small smile before turning his attention back to her arm.

"You are so worried about everybody else that you forget yourself. I´m worried about you."

"Don´t be." He pulled the needle out gently and stood up. "Press that for a few minutes."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to where she sat.

"You need to press that, love." He placed his fingers on her arm where he had taken the blood. "It´s gonna leave nasty marks if you don´t press

it."

She ignored him and cupped his face with both of her hands, pulling him to a soft kiss. "I know you worry. We all do."

He sighed, rested his forehead against hers. "I know."

"We´re not going back for at least twelve hours so I´m going to sleep. Come with me, please Carson."

"I will." He brushed his lips against hers again. "But can you do something for me first."

"Anything."

-----

Elizabeth had waited until Lorne had left before standing up and walking out into the balcony. The first tears escaped and she let them fall, leaning heavily against railing, eyes falling close.

"Ma´am?"

She wiped the tears away from her face, laughing with embarrassment as more fell free.

Laura moved next to her, a little unsure what to say. "I thought you´d like some company." She said softly.

"Not really." Elizabeth replied as softly.

The young officer turned her head to look to the sea, leaning against the rail as well. "Carson warned me you´d say so."

Elizabeth smiled. "So you´ve all ganged up against me?"

"Pretty much."

"He told you?"

"I should say no, you know, because of the doctor patient confident thing, but yeah, he told me. He said you shouldn´t be alone. And, well, Teyla is still... and colonel Sheppard... so, here I am."

"I´ll be fine soon."

"It´s okay to be sad. Upset. Angry. I know I would."

"What you and Carson have..."

"Oh please." The lieutenant chuckled, before glancing at her to see if she had crossed a line.

"We didn´t...John and I." Elizabeth kept staring the sea.

Again Laura interrupted her softly. "With all due respect, ma´am, it may not be obvious to everyone, but for us who work close to you, we figured it out."

Elizabeth´s hand moved to pull out the chain where the ring he had given her hung. "You knew?"

"Well, yeah. He´s not very good at hiding his feelings when it comes to you. I mean, you know how he was before, and suddenly he´s just all too smiling and happy and perky. It was kinda creepy before we realized why."

She smiled like Laura had expected her to.

"We´ll find him. Major Lorne is already gathering a new team, and there won´t be trouble finding volunteers. I am waiting the twelve hours Carson ordered..."

"Yeah."

Cadman turned to leave, the cool wind ruffling her red hair.

"Laura." The younger woman turned around at the sound of her name. "Thank you."

"You´re welcome." She replied softly.

Elizabeth nodded her head before turning back to look at the waves.

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It would be great if you would review. Thanks for reading anyways.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews. Appreciate you let me know you´re still reading.

Ok, guess who´s my favourite Air Force major here?

_-----------_

_18 months later_

The gate had disappeared from their sight long time ago, but he still glanced behind them. He lifted his hand to pull his hat down deeper on his head, pushing up the collar of his coat against the harsh wind.

Major Evan Lorne hated the coldness.

He slowed his step, waiting for Teyla to catch up with him, letting Rodney and Ronon taking point in the path he barely made out from the frost covered ground.

"Feeling okay, Teyla?" He asked, glancing at the woman next to him.

"I am fine, major."

"Just let me know if you want to take a break or something." Lorne grinned softly, shifting his P-90 against him.

Ronon stopped and turned around to wait for them. "You okay, Teyla?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes, I am fine." She smiled at the concerned look on his face. "Do not worry about me."

"Is everything okay?" Rodney stood a little further, looking around in the forest they had been walking for several hours before walked to them too. "You need a break?"

"I am fine." She sighed softly.

"Sure?" Ronon moved closer, reaching to touch her arm gently.

"Yes."

"Remember Carson made _very_ clear that this will be your last off world mission for a very long time and told us we should not exhaust you." Rodney eyed the woman in front of him carefully.

Her hand moved to her slightly swollen belly that was barely visible under the heavy winter coat she was wearing. "I really am fine."

"Good." Ronon nodded, his eyes softening as he watched her caressing their unborn child. "The village is not far away. A few miles that way."

"And how would you know that? You´ve never been here before. There´s no path to follow. For what I know, we could just be walking in circles."

Lorne grinned at the familiar banter that started between Rodney and Ronon and let them walk a while before following them with Teyla.

"I´m surprised Ronon hasn´t killed him yet?" Lorne wondered.

"He once made that promise to colonel Sheppard, I guess he is just keeping that promise."

Lorne smiled, but the mention of Sheppard´s name still hurt. He blamed for himself for not being able to find him. Like Rodney blamed for himself for not being able to get the needed readings from the DHD that had most malfunctioned.

They reached the village when the sun was setting, darkness falling over them quickly. A small group of children ran to them and Lorne lifted his gun up away from the curious hands.

"Greetings." An old man stood by the door of the small hut, a white fur coat around his shoulders, a scarf wrapped tightly around his head. "Travelers, come, come inside. Night is falling and it is getting cold." He gestured them to step inside. "Come, you can spend the night here."

Lorne glanced at Ronon who nodded and stepped in first, Teyla following him. The old man turned to close the door after Lorne. "Go inside to your  
homes." The man waved his hand to the children that had followed the strangers before closing the door.

The warmth greeted them and Teyla pushed the hood of her jacket back from her head. Lorne glanced around in the small room and took off his hat, running his hand through his messy hair.

"Sit, sit." The old man gestured the pillows that were laid on the floor in front of the large fire place.

Teyla sat down, unzipping her coat and taking off her gloves. "You are very kind of letting us stay here." She said softly.

"Yes." The man had taken off his fur coat and the scarf. "Sit." He pointed the pillows again to Lorne and Ronon. "Nights are cold here. Very, very cold."

Lorne sat down as the man gestured the colorful pillows again. He unclipped his gun and placed it on the floor next to him. Opening his jacket he gave a friendly smile to the old man. "I´m Major Lorne, this is Teyla, Ronon and Dr. McKay."

"I am Ares, son of Leonidas."

"Well, Ares, we appreciate that you invited us to your home." Lorne said.

Ares nodded pleased at his words. "I am leader of this village. We don´t see outsiders often."

"What about the Wraith?" Ronon asked.

"The Wraith come through the Great Ring and they take my people. They know we have no place to go."

"Why don´t you move your people away from this planet?"

Ares looked at Rodney surprised. "Our Great Ring is broken, we can not leave this planet."

"Broken?" Lorne glanced worriedly at Rodney.

"Probably the DHD because the Wraith are still using the gate and we had no problem to dial in." The scientist shrugged.

"Can you fix it?"

"Well, I need to see it first."

"We are simple people, Major Lorne. We do not know how to fix this thing."

"Has it been broken for a long time?"

"Almost twenty cycles."

"Ares?" A soft voice asked from across the room and they turned to see an old woman stepping from the darkness. "Who are these people?"

"Narella, these visitors came through the Great Ring." Ares turned to look at them. "This is my wife Narella."

Lorne stood up, smiling at the old woman who looked shyly away, not used to have strangers in her home.

"You must be hungry." She said, pushing back a lock of gray hair that had escaped from the small bun and heading into the small kitchen area that was in the corner of the small room.

"We don´t want to trouble..." Lorne started.

Ares smiled at them friendly. "It is no trouble. Boy! Come here!" He called, looking at the small doorway that led in the back of the hut.

"Son of a bitch." Lorne´s voice made Teyla and Rodney turn around and look at the man who had stopped to stare at them surprised.

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Review if you have time. Will update soon again.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for reading and reviewing. A little longer chapter, thought you would like.

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"Colonel Sheppard?" Teyla asked pushing herself up from the floor.

"What the hell took you so long?" John Sheppard looked different with a long hair and a beard, wearing similar clothes as Ares, but it was him.

Teyla moved across the room to where he was still standing and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He stood still for a moment, before lifting his arms and hugging her back. His eyes fell close and he buried his head on her shoulder.

After a moment he pulled away to look at her. She smiled and wiped her eyes, looking down to hide the tears. His gaze fell down to her swollen belly that had kept them slightly apart as they had hugged and he took a small step back surprised.

"What´s all this?"

"You´ve become dumber while being away, Sheppard?" Ronon moved to stand next to Teyla, his hand brushing against her back for a silent support and she glanced at him smiling.

John grinned and pulled the tall man into a tight hug. "You dog."

"Should I understand the meaning of that?" Ronon asked, still unfamiliar with some of the human expressions.

"Never mind." John replied and turned to look at Teyla again. "You´re having a baby? With him? Have you lost your mind?"

She laughed softly at the teasing words, reaching to take his hand. "It is so good to see you, colonel."

They sat around the fire, listening at the wind outside.

"It took you long enough?" John said, his voice cracking slightly with emotions and he turned to look at the fire embarrassed

"We didn´t...we thought, uh..." Rodney looked away ashamed.

"We did not know where to look." Teyla said softly.

"What do you mean? All you needed to do was dial..."

"No." Lorne shook his head. "It took us more than twelve hours to find out what had happened, and a day to get the gate work again. The address you had dialed wasn´t this planet."

"Because of the extra energy the gate got from the strike of the lightning, it´s possible that it bounced from its original destination to this planet." Rodney explained quietly. "There was no way that we could have traced that new address."

"Oh."

"All we could do was hope that you would dial home by yourself, but as the time passed..."

"You thought I was dead." John finished for Rodney and turned to add another log into the fire, watching as the flames started to lick the dry wood. He wanted to understand, pushing away the feel of bitterness that rushed over him. For so long he had felt like his friends had betrayed him, left him behind. The first weeks he had been hopeful, waited for them to come, until finally he had given up hope.

"Yes." The scientist´s voice was defensive. "We didn´t even think that there could be problem with the gate or the DHD. And speaking of it, I should check that out, to see if I can fix it."

"Yes you should." John said. "But not right now. The nights are cold here, we should wait till morning."

"How much colder it could get? I think it was pretty cold there already."

"Oh, you don´t wanna know."

Teyla pushed a strand of red hair back behind her ear and laid her hand on her stomach, smiling at John. "What have you been doing here, colonel?"

"Other than being bored out of my mind?" John asked chuckling, feeling a little better. "There´s really nothing to do here."

"Surely you have..."

"Oh no." He shook his head. "When I say there´s nothing to do, I really mean there´s nothing to do here. It´s too cold to be outside, and here..." He glanced around him. "Well, as you can see..."

"But what about in the summer?"

"This is summer. Hell, I don´t know. It´s always been this cold. Since I got here. Only difference from winter is that we don´t have several feet snow surrounding the village."

"Oh." Rodney moved closer to the fire. "Sounds...cold."

John glared at him before speaking again. "Ares and Narella found me in the snow near the gate and brought me here. I would have probably died without them."

"He calls you boy?" Ronon asked smirking, sitting close to Teyla.

"Since the first time he spoke to me."

-----

The morning sun that rose up to the gray sky did not offer any warmth for the new day. The fire was slowly dying down in the fire place and John added a new log to keep it alive.

Lorne, Ronon and Rodney stood next to the small window, staring outside into the blizzard.

"So, a baby, huh?" John asked Teyla, looking down on her stomach as she moved closer to the warming fire. "When are you due?"

"Doctor Beckett says the baby should be born in three months." She smiled softly, rubbing her stomach gently. "She is kicking a lot."

"She?"

"Yes, doctor Beckett did the ultrasound and he says it is most likely a girl."

"And you´re allowed to travel through the gate?"

"According to your Earth doctors, it is not recommendable to use the gate while expecting a child, but my people have done it for generations. And Doctor Beckett thinks it is not as dangerous as your doctors think."

"Well, Doctor Beckett is usually right." John smiled.

"He has been a really great help with everything. There were so many things I did not know before he explained everything to me. He has even taught me how to breathe right when I am going to labor."

"Will this be the first child born in Atlantis? The new generation."

The Athosian woman shook her head softly. "No. One child is already born, and Lieutenant Cadman is giving birth any days now."

"Cadman? And Beckett?"

"Yes." Teyla smiled softly.

"Yes." Rodney confirmed as he sat back down next to the fire. "Little Beckett is soon to be keeping us all awake at nights I´m sure."

"We should try to head back to the gate." Lorne said moving away from the window.

"I agree." Ronon nodded, taking his jacket from the floor. "It doesn´t look that bad right now."

"He means that you can actually see where we are going." Rodney reached for his coat and pulled it on. "There´s no use for all us go, Ronon and I´ll go and see if I can fix the DHD." He said, his eyes lingering on Teyla for a moment longer than intended.

"Thank you, Rodney." She smiled warmly, thankful that she didn´t need to make the trip back to the gate and then back to the village in the cold wind.

John watched as the two men disappeared from the door, and shivered as the cold air sneaked in before the door was closed again. "Did he just..?"

Lorne nodded his head chuckling and looked out from the window. "He has been kind of over protective since we found out that Teyla was pregnant. You should have seen him when..."

"I think he is a little afraid of Doctor Beckett." Teyla interrupted the Major softly, sending him a warning glance.

-----

"Okay, it´s bad." Rodney said under the DHD he had pulled apart.

"You can´t fix it?" Ronon frowned.

"I didn´t say that."

"So you can fix it?"

"I didn´t say that either."

"Then what the hell are you saying?"

Rodney pulled himself away from the DHD and looked at the Satedan in annoyance. "Go away."

"But you can fix it, right?"

"Yes, I can fix it." Rodney sighed. "Of course I can fix it. I just need time. And you need to stop asking stupid questions."

"Asking if you are going to get us home or not is not a stupid question."

"You´re right. Ask more questions, that´ll fix the DHD." Rodney sighed, not missing the grin on Ronon´s face as he walked past him.

It took longer than he had expected, but finally he heard the familiar sound as the gate powered up and he sighed relieved.

"Okay, let´s go get the others and let´s get the hell out of this ice planet."

-----

Narella had offered them some hot soup to eat and they sat around the kitchen table eating. Teyla smiled at the older woman as she shyly reached to touch her stomach.

The flash of sadness passed her face as she felt the baby kicking. "We never had children, Ares and I." She smiled sadly. "We thought that it was too dangerous to have a baby when the wraith comes and all."

Teyla reached to take her hand and squeezed softly. "I am afraid as well. The wraith have taken so much from all of us. I pray to gods that they won´t take this little child from me."

"They won´t." John said quietly and Teyla smiled at him thankfully.

"So, how is everybody? How´s Elizabeth?" He had wanted to ask about her since he had first seen them standing in the small living room, but he had been afraid of the answer.

"She´s good." Lorne answered smiling over his small bowl of soup. "Never gave up on you."

"Really?"

"She never gave up, John." Teyla said, the sound of his name leaving her lips made him look up from his food.

"Is she, I mean, she hasn´t met..." He started, the look on his eyes almost pained because of longing for her.

The door opened, interrupting his words and letting once again the cold air and some snow inside.

"I hope you have said your goodbyes to these fine folks, because we are taking you home." Rodney shook the snow from his hood as he lowered it and let the warmth greet him.

"You should come with us." John said softly but Narella shook her head.

"No, this is our home. It has been for many cycles. We can not leave."

He understood and moved to hug the old woman. "I´ll visit."

Narella chuckled softly, reaching to touch his beard covered face. "Go back to your Elizabeth." She whispered, having learned all about the woman in John´s life during the months he had been stranded.

He nodded and pulled away from her embrace. "I´ll send some supplies, and the code you can reach us." He said to Ares who nodded his head.

"The DHD is fixed." Rodney said softly to the old couple as they waited John to get his few things. "I can leave a few addresses if you want to leave this planet." He drew the symbols on his notebook and tore of the page. "Now, the first one is with lot of sunshine and no Wraith..."

An hour later Lorne was standing by the gate, watching as it opened and then sent his code through. Teyla and Ronon stepped through first, Rodney right after them. The major waited as John walked slowly up the few snow covered steps before glancing back for the last time before stepping into the horizon.

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One more chapter left...


	10. Chapter 10

So, last chapter. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for the reviews!

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Teyla, Ronon and Rodney were waiting for him to come and the gate closed after Lorne had stepped through right after him. The defense team lowered their weapons, staring at their commanding officer surprised.

Sheppard glanced around the gateroom and up to the control room, his eyes searching for one person.

She was not there.

Lorne patted him on the back. "She doesn´t come to welcome every team back every time anymore."

He nodded, understanding. "I´d like to see her."

"Bloody hell." Carson´s voice made him turn around and watch as the doctor hurried down the stairs and straight to him. "We thought you were dead."

"Can´t get rid off me that easily, doc." He grinned back.

Carson hugged him tightly. "Good to have you back, son."

"It´s good to be back."

People started to move closer, abandoning their posts long enough to greet their military leader they had thought dead for a long time. Carson raised his hands, shaking his head.

"Stop. You can all talk to him after I´ll release him from the infirmary."

"Aw, come on, doc. I´m fine."

A chuckle escaped from Carson´s lips. "Right. Listen, lad, you have been away for eighteen months. Do you really think that I am letting you wander around the city without a check up?"

"I was hoping you would."

"And you need a shower, shaving and a hair cut."

"I need to see her." He said, the last word coming out as a quiet whisper.

"I know, son." Carson replied softly as they reached the infirmary. "She has been informed. Major Lorne sent a team to get her as soon as you arrived."

"Where is she?"

"At the mainland." Carson explained. "She visits the mainland twice a month now. Laura, lieutenant Cadman I mean, is with her today and they should get back any minute now."

-----

A nurse had waited him as he had showered, letting the almost burning hot water fell over him for a long time before turning the water off and stepping out.

He wrapped a towel around his waist, using another towel to wipe the steam from the mirror and covered his beard with a shaving cream before taking a razor in his hand. He looked at the young man standing by the door.

Carefully he moved the razor in his throat. "You´re new?" He asked, the young man looking unfamiliar to him.

"Been here for a year, sir." The nurse replied.

"Ah." John nodded and turned his attention back to his beard. "You like it here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Drop the sir, kid. What´s your name?"

"William."

He finished shaving, using the towel to wipe of the remaining cream from his face, studying himself through the mirror. "I feel better already." He said to himself, a hand running across his smooth face.

"You got clean clothes for me, Will?"

"Yes, sir."

With a frown he took the offered hospital gown. "All the things I missed while being away, this wasn´t one of them."

"Yes, sir."

The bed felt soft and comfortable as he lay in the there, the same he usually had occupied. Carson released his arm and wrote down on his chart his blood pressure, nodding approvingly. "Well, I see you have gotten some new scars." He said, examining the one in his chest.

"Yeah."

"And I also noticed you have broken a few ribs some time ago."

"Eighteen months ago or so."

"Well, I´d like you to stay here for the night, just so we can get your blood results back, but you seem fine."

"I feel fine."

Carson chuckled. "I remember you saying that one occasion when you had two broken ribs, a sprained wrist and a concussion, not to mention about the bleeding gash in your arm."

John grinned at the memory. "Well, you fixed me up pretty good."

"Yes, after I have found you unconscious from the hallway." Carson grinned back and then got serious. "She wanted to come as soon as she heard you were back, but I asked her not to."

"Ok."

"I´m saying this so you know why she isn´t here yet."

"I understand."

"I wanted to check you out first."

"It´s fine. I understand."

"Okay, just wanted to tell you."

Carson pulled the curtain closed, giving him some privacy. He had not allowed anyone to come and see him, earning glares and frowns from the people who had gathered outside the infirmary.

John sighed at the silent, thankful that Carson had kept the people away. He had missed them all, but he was more tired than he thought, and he wanted nothing more than see Elizabeth first.

His sleep wasn´t deep, he had just closed his eyes for a minute and dozed off. A light pressure on the mattress as someone sat down next to him on the bed made him open his eyes.

She smiled, the same smile that he had longed for eighteen long months to see.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Her hand was shaking a little as she brought it to his face, fingers smoothing his cheek lightly before brushing back a hair.

"You need a hair cut." She said softly.

"I know."

He captured her hand with his own, his fingers gently playing with hers. Her eyes were bright with tears she fought hard against. She had let her hair grow, and it was pulled back into a small ponytail to keep it away from her face.

"God." She whispered half chuckling, avoiding looking him in the eye, afraid that the tears would escape.

He smiled and turned to look at their joined hands. The ring in her finger caught his attention and he moved his fingers to touch it.

"This is..."

"Yeah." She nodded. "God, John." She lost the battle and the first tear rolled down on her cheek.

"Hey." He let her hand go and leaned to pull her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder and the silent sobs shook her body as she cried.

He buried his head into her neck and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply her familiar scent. She pulled away slightly to look at him before he captured her tear wetted face between his hands and kissed her. A small whimper escaped her as he deepened the kiss and her fingers caressed his neck, running through his hair.

They parted for air and she rested her forehead against his, eyes still closed, breathing heavily after the kiss.

"God I missed you." He whispered, feeling her warm breath against his cheek.

She smiled tiredly and pulled back to look at him. Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him lightly on the lips again. "I have so much to tell you." She whispered a soft smile on her lips, her hand moving on his chest to feel his heart beating under her palm.

"John, before anything else... I want you to meet someone."

She stood up and he resultantly let go off her hand. "I´ll be right back." She promised before leaving him alone. She was gone only a short time, returning with a small baby in her arms. The child was clearly a girl, dressed in pink pants and red long sleeved shirt. She was wearing no shoes but little socks were covering the small feet. Dark hair was curling around her face and long black lashes were framing the deep green eyes.

"This is Madison. She´s your daughter." Elizabeth sat back on the edge of his bed, the little girl sitting on her lap, staring around her curiously.

He had known she was his the second he had seen her, but her words made it real. She offered her to him and he took her, a little unsure how to hold the small child. He settled the baby in his arms and stared at her amazed.

"I have a daughter."

"Yes." Elizabeth nodded, fresh tears burning in the back of her eyes as she watched him holding their child.

"How..? I mean, when...how..?" He stammered a little in his words, not able to look away from the girl.

"I found out just when you had left." She replied softly. "She´ll be one year soon."

He nodded, eyes still fixed on the little baby. "She looks just like you."

She reached to smooth the baby´s silky hair. "When you were gone, I used to watch her for hours, seeing all those little things she has gotten from you."

He glanced up to see her blinking back the tears. "I´m sorry I wasn´t here." He looked back to the baby.

"Me too." The baby had brought a small fist up to her cheek, her eyes falling close. "But everyone has been really into this. I wasn´t alone."

"I´m glad." He moved the baby to lie on the bed next to him, placing his arm around her so she would not fall from the bed.

"Her full name is Madison Abigail Sheppard." She told him softly.

"After my grandmother?"

She nodded. "I remember you telling me how important she is to you, so I thought... I hope you don´t mind?"

"Does..." His voice cracked a little. "I mean, does my family know about her?"

"Yes. I´ve sent pictures and some video. I´ve also told them that you were missing."

He nodded, not being able to look away from the sleeping child. "What about SGC?" He asked quietly.

"General O´Neill helped me with this one." She smiled. "He was with me when I met the president. It was about four months after you had gone missing and I was six months pregnant. The president was very understanding."

"So..?"

"The same rules and regulations aren´t valid here. We live in another galaxy. We are our own. They can´t order us to stop falling in love or not to have children just because some of you are military."

He glanced up to her surprised. "The president agrees to that?"

"He actually told me that. He´s a good man, John."

"Should have voted for him."

"Well, he is one of the godfathers of your daughter..."

"He is?"

"Unofficially for now. He couldn´t actually be here when we christened her, but he sent a nice gift."

"Does that mean I have to meet the guy every time we´re on Earth?"

"Yes. He was very worried about you."

"Right."

She smiled at the sarcastic tone of his voice before turning to serious. "I´ve missed you, John. We both have."

"I should have been here."

"Maddie has so many uncles and aunts here. She´s being spoiled by everybody despite what I tell them. But you´re her father. She´s happy you´re here now. As am I."

He leaned to kiss her, long and sweet, capturing her face between his hands. She rested her forehead against his, her eyes closed.

"You´re home, John. With me and Maddie."

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The End

Well, last chance, reviews would be nice. Thanks for reading.


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